


The Only Way To Be Safe and Free is To Be What My Name Decreed Me

by Captain_Aurinko



Series: victorian au [2]
Category: The Penumbra Podcast
Genre: Alternate Universe - Victorian, Except being gay and trans is fine, M/M, Sort Of, This is for @aesphantasmal for his birthday, but the repression is still there, i love him dearly and im not afraid to say it in the tags, there is no universe no matter how alternate where juno is polite, they also don't talk like victorians, this is his au and we're all living in it
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-10
Updated: 2020-06-10
Packaged: 2021-03-04 02:14:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,482
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24646264
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Captain_Aurinko/pseuds/Captain_Aurinko
Summary: Juno Steel came home at one in the morning to find Peter Nureyev sitting on his couch. The thief’s sharp smile glinted in the dark. “Good Evening, Juno. It’s been far too long.”Juno turned and closed the door behind him with deliberate slowness, taking the moment he wasn’t facing Peter to shove down the warring tides of emotion that arose in him every time the thief crossed his path. “Nureyev,” he said, still facing away. “Please tell me that the ten hour manhunt that Madame Zolotonva just sent me on wasn’t after you.”akaThe Victorian Au that's written like we wrote fics before we knew Juno was leaving Hyperion at the end of season 2. Peter shows up sometimes to make Juno's life a little bit more complicated.
Relationships: Peter Nureyev/Juno Steel
Series: victorian au [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1710925
Comments: 24
Kudos: 81





	The Only Way To Be Safe and Free is To Be What My Name Decreed Me

**Author's Note:**

  * For [aesphantasmal](https://archiveofourown.org/users/aesphantasmal/gifts).



Juno Steel came home at one in the morning to find Peter Nureyev sitting on his couch. The thief’s sharp smile glinted in the dark. “Good Evening, Juno. It’s been far too long.” 

Juno turned and closed the door behind him with deliberate slowness, taking the moment he wasn’t facing Peter to shove down the warring tides of emotion that arose in him every time the thief crossed his path. “Nureyev,” he said, still facing away. “Please tell me that the ten hour manhunt that Madame Zolotonva just sent me on wasn’t after you.”

“In my defense,” He said, and Juno heard fabric rustling as Nureyev stood. “I had no idea that she would be so… thorough in her attempts to catch me. I assumed she’d want you to go over the details of the case and then send on your way, not enlist you in her militia to comb through every nook and cranny of this city for the mysterious Monsieur who relieved her of her valuables. Sending every private detective and constable she could find on a wild goose chase after me was an irritant I didn’t anticipate.”

“You didn’t anticipate it, by which you mean we had a chance of catching you. None of the other rat holes in this city were safe for you, and so you came to the one place you knew I wouldn’t think to search. My apartment.” He turned to Nureyev, who was now only a few feet away. It was dark, but neither of them moved to light the lamps. 

“Oh, my dear Juno, surely you can’t think that I would stop in London without visiting you. The fact that the constables wouldn’t search here was simply… an additional benefit to your company.”

Juno chose to ignore that comment. “You know, Madama Zolotovna says you broke her heart. She was crying her eyes out when I arrived to take her statement.” Sure, she had been crying in the arms of a strong, young constable who she was holding onto slightly tighter than was necessary, but Juno didn’t feel the need to mention that fact. 

“What can I say,” Peter said wistfully. “Monsieur Dauphin is a married man. He could never abandon his lady love, no matter how much Madame Zolotovna pleaded.”

“Married? I’m sorry that I missed the wedding.”

“Oh, it was a small ceremony. Madame Dauphin insists on his privacy.”

“You don’t say.”

“Yes, although that’s not to say he’s a shy lady. Bold and daring, charming when he wants to be, and…” Juno was suddenly aware that Nureyev had been moving closer as they talked and now there were only inches between them. He reached a hand up to Juno’s cheek and trailed his hand along Juno’s jawline. “Absolutely breathtaking.”

Juno moved abruptly away and quickly lit the lamp just in time to catch the last embers of raw emotion disappearing from Nureyev’s eyes. “Just tell me why you’re here, Nureyev. The quicker you’re out my door, the better.”

Peter sighed and sat on the arm of Juno’s couch. He was still dressed in what must have been his Monsieur Dauphin disguise: an elegant red waistcoat with a golden cravat . Juno would feel a little embarrassed in his simple, working class dress if he wasn’t so cranky after spending hours prodding dark alleyways for imagined master thieves. “Juno, do you know what day it is?”

“Well, since you’ve kept me up past one in the morning, it’s Wednesday, June 10th.”

“No, no. Juno, I don’t think you understand what I’m asking. What  _ day _ is it?”

“....Still…. Still Wednesday. Nureyev, did you hit your head while nabbing that… whatever it is that you nabbed?”

“You’re certain that you don’t remember anything of importance happening on this day. No significant events? Events that may have happened a year ago?”

“Not really. Except…” He straightened. “You didn’t.  _ You wouldn’t. _ ”

Nureyev grinned, bright and sharp and Juno’s breath hitched at the sight of it. “Happy anniversary, my dear Lady Steel.” 

“It’s not our anniversary, I’m not dear, and I’m not  _ yours. _ You make it sound like we’re in a courtship. We met a year ago when you stole from one of the biggest crime families in London and I arrested you for it.”

“Well, I like to think there was a little more to it than that. I gave you my name, for one.”

Juno growled. “Just tell me: where is it? What did you do with the orb?”

“Globe.”

“I don’t particularly care about the taxonomy, Nureyev.”

Peter sighed and the globe appeared in his hands. “There we are, safe and sound. Are you satisfied.”

“Give it back.”

“Why certainly. I was planning on it.” Juno narrowed his eyes. “Oh don’t give me that look. I only stole it to draw attention away from my actual goal. I’ll leave the globe itself on the front steps of Pilot Pereyra’s manor, send the constables in that direction, and let them try to explain how it got there.”

“Oh, so you’re framing people now?”

“Oh hush, I didn’t sit through you spending half of my last visit railing against how they use their money to get out of first degree murder charges only to let them continue vexing you. I feel that Madame Zolotovna’s charges will have more weight against them, especially with more money to pressure the judges.”

“You’re pitting one crazy rich noble against another, even crazier rich noble.”

“I considered stealing from the Kangawas, but frankly if I ever see Cecil Kanagawa again I may be forced to remove his head from his body with extreme expedience.”

“He has that effect on people.”

“Quite.”

“So what were you really after?”

“Hmm?”

“You said that you stole the globe to draw attention away from your actual goal. What was it?”

A shadow passed over Nureyev’s face. If Juno didn’t know any better, he would call it nervousness, or doubt, but that didn’t make sense. In all the time Juno had known him, he’d never seen Peter Nureyev as anything less than obnoxiously confident in every move he made. It was… reassuring... to have someone around who was so certain in what they did. Working with him made Juno feel a little bit of that confidence too. It made him feel like maybe the two of them stood a chance against the big mean world.

All of which was to say that that small flicker of nervousness was enough to put Juno on edge. “Nureyev, what did you do?”

“Close your eyes, Juno.” That was even more reason for Juno to be on edge. Peter clearly noticed the tension that wracked his frame because he sighed and softly said. “Please? I swear on my honor as a gentleman, I’m not about to run off with your valuables.” He paused. “Well, not again at the very least.”   
Hesitantly, Juno closed his eyes. He didn’t trust this. He didn’t trust Nureyev. So why was he doing what he wanted? He could sense Nureyev walking up to him, and braced for- what exactly? A knife between the ribs to kill him? A blow to the temple to knock him unconscious? A soft kiss to- it didn’t matter. Peter’s long, slender fingers brushed over his throat, and Juno thought wildly back to the Penny Dreadfuls that Rita loved to read instead of working. Stories of vampires and shapeshifters and demons that walked among mortals, luring them under a spell and tearing them apart. Peter’s hands slid behind his neck and Juno took a sharp breath. His hands lingered for only a moment before he stepped back and Juno opened his eyes. 

Nureyev gave him a tentative smile and pulled a compact mirror out of his pocket. “Well?” He asked. “What do you think?”

Juno was wearing the most beautiful necklace he’d ever seen. It was a beautiful, delicate gold, made of dozens of interlocking roses, threaded with ivy. The roses studded with tiny rubies and ivy studded with miniscule emeralds should have clashed with the pale yellow of his dress, but somehow they served to compliment it instead. The level of detail was excruciating, and despite how understated it was, Juno knew that it must have cost more than he would make in a year. “It’s… incredible. Nureyev, I can’t keep this.”

“Why ever not? It’s hardly as if Madame Zolotovna is going to notice that it’s missing. She has thousands of necklaces like this one, and the distraction of her missing globe will keep her quite occupied. I spent hours searching through her collection for the design that would fit you best. From my understanding, she’s never even touched this one with her own hands. It’s wasted in her possession. I think it far more befitting a lady who can show it off properly.”

“Whether or not you think I deserve it doesn’t matter. She bought it. It’s hers. What am I gonna do if someone recognizes it, huh? What do I say? Oh, sorry, a thief I’m….I’m  _ friends _ with-” Nureyev raised an eyebrow at the stumble and Juno felt his face flush. “A thief I know just dropped it off with me as an annivers- as a present and instead of arresting him and turning the necklace over to its original owner, I kept it because I thought _ I deserved it _ . How do you think that’s going to go over, Nureyev?”

“You don’t have to show it off. You don’t even have to keep it. Return it if your burning moral core compels you. It’s a gift, not a ball and chain. I simply thought it would suit you, and give you something to remind you of me while I’m away.”

“What, the letters aren’t enough?”

Nureyev stood to leave and made a show of straightening his waistcoat. “Don’t be absurd, Juno. You deserve the world. If anything, my gifts have fallen below par. Now, sadly, I have to be off. The manhunt has died down for today, which means I must alight to Mx. Pereyra’s house with this gift for them.”

“And after that?”

Peter looked at him with surprise. “I have to leave for Venice tonight. Forgive me, I anticipated we’d have more time together than this. Why do you ask?”

“I have to make sure that nothing else goes missing, don’t I? Just so I don’t take any cases that mean running into you again.”

“Of course.” He reached for the doorknob, but Juno surprised himself by reaching out to grab the sleeve of Nureyev’s coat.

“Nureyev, wait. I-” He felt his face heat up and pointedly avoided looking at the thief. “It’s- It’s a nice necklace. So, thank you. And… I guess if Zolotovna never even knew she had it, then it would be harder to explain returning it to her than keeping it, huh.”

“That logic follows, yes.”

“So… there’s no way I’d be hurting anyone by keeping it.”

“Not a chance.”

“Nureyev…”

“Yes?” 

Juno opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out. He had no way to verbalize the confusing jumble of feelings in his chest. Nureyev must have seen the helpless look in his eye and understood, because he smiled, ever so slightly, and leaned towards Juno slowly, giving him the chance to move away if he wanted to. Juno closed his eyes as Peter pressed his lips to Juno’s forehead. 

“I’ll be back in a few weeks if things go well,” he promised. “And a month if they don’t.”

“What if you get caught?”

“What are they going to do? Throw me into a Venician prison? Please, Juno. I’d be out in an afternoon and be home to you within a handful of days.” Juno’s breath hitched at the idea of Peter considering this place his home. Logically, he knew it made sense. After all, this was the only place the thief ever regularly returned to, even if he’d never stayed for more than a few hours at a time. 

A smile flickered across his face at the memory of the first time Nureyev had stopped by his apartment. “As long as you don’t get arrested by any one-eyed old Private Detectives, guess I’m rooting for the guards to get a menace like you off the streets.”

“Why detective! It almost sounds as if you enjoy my company.”

“I prefer having you in my line of sight, that’s all. That way I know you’re not running around making headaches for me to solve.”

“Oh, Juno. You know perfectly well that I could steal the crown jewels while staying in your line of sight with none the wiser. Well, now there’s an idea…” He chuckled at Juno’s scowl. “Teasing, of course.”

“I caught you, you know that right? I don’t know why you keep acting like you’re this untouchable master thief. I caught you before and I’ll do it again if I have to.”

“Mmm. But not tonight. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to go before your neighbors start wondering who their handsome, lonely neighbor could be talking to this early in the morning.”

Juno opened his mouth to argue, but Nureyev was already out the door, leaving him confused, tired, and undeniably fond. As he closed the door and went to bed, he unfastened the necklace and set it on his nightstand, only for it to nudge up against a sealed letter. Juno rolled his eyes as he broke the seal and read it. 

_ Juno, _ it said in Nureyev’s quick, looping scrawl.  _ I don’t know if I’ll have the chance to see you before I need to make my exit, but I wanted to give you a small token of my gratitude to make up for the trouble I’ve put you through today. It’s hanging in your closet, and don’t worry: It was custom-made, not stolen, so there’s no reason to weaponize that scowl you’re so fond of using against me. Monsieur Dauphin may be charming to the lonely Madame Zolotovna, but honestly, he’s nothing without his wife beside him.  _

_ Yours,  _

Nureyev had left the space for his name blank, and Juno couldn’t help but roll his eyes as he left the note on the nightstand and checked his closet. Inside, hanging neatly alongside his worn waistcoats and working-class dresses was the most beautiful, golden ball gown he’d ever seen. He’d mugged royalty that wore dresses less gaudy than this. There was another note pinned to it. 

_ To match your necklace. _

Juno laughed despite himself. He had no idea when or how Nureyev had gotten the dress, or Juno’s measurements, or paid for it, or even carried the dress through the streets undetected after having escaped Zolotovna’s manor with her most prized possessions. Just when he’d thought Peter Nureyev was out of surprises, he’d been proven wrong. As much as the thought should have unsettled him, he couldn’t find it in himself to mind.

**Author's Note:**

> AAAAAAAHHHHhh HAPPY BIRTHDAY REMY!!!!!!!!
> 
> Art is by remy (@aesphantasmal on ao3 and tumblr and probably twitter too idk) It's very good and i love him immensely.
> 
> You should all know that this is probably the nicest, least painful thing i will ever write. It's not satisfying unless I hurt my readers. I made that sacrifice for you, remy. 
> 
> Also I wrote this with 3 days notice of his birthday so i think i did good all things considered. 
> 
> COMMENT, BOOKMARK, GIVE KUDOS, AND WISH REMY A HAPPY 19TH BDAY!!!!!!!


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